Good food for thought.

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Protecting our planet’s resources.

Food. It is what keeps us fit and alive, what brings us together and nourishes our lives. Fibre helps us by providing protection from the elements and weaving its way into various aspects of our daily lives.

All of this comes from the farmer and it is our responsibility to make our farming system fit for the future. Land, water, energy are our precious resources and are critical to putting every meal on the table and providing a shirt on every shoulder.

But what if we ran out of water to irrigate crops? What if climate change threatened our entire food supply? So, when we come into work the next day, the only task at our hand is to give back to the earth that feeds us.

More Crop per Drop

Recently, our projects have been working to make optimum use of the most abundant as well as rare resource - water. The focus of our Water Utilization Learning Center is entirely on irrigation and its role in growing crops. Our breeding and biotechnology division is developing seeds that can grow amidst adverse conditions, ensuring a steady harvest and a timely meal for your loved ones.

Yet, we cannot do it all by ourselves. So, we have joined hands with organizations of all sizes to address the world’s water concerns. We have partnered with international aid groups to share new tools with resource-poor farmers globally. These initiatives are aimed towards one goal: to improve the irrigated water-use efficiency by 25% by 2020.

We have also recently joined The World Business Council for Sustainable Development to further boost our efforts towards a sustainable world for all. This is an important step to protect soil systems, optimize land use and enhance traditional and modern farming approaches. What’s more, through Project SHARE, we’re aiming to enable small and marginal cotton and corn farmers to increase yields and incomes through water conservation, rainwater harvesting, pest management, waste reduction and many more methods.

Our association with DISHA also helps address the problem of malnutrition in children and helps bring about a positive impact by focusing on hygiene, nutrition and sensitization.

We truly believe that as you sow, so shall you reap.

GMOs. What, How, and Why it helps our Farmers.

GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism. The genetic advancement process takes a beneficial trait that helps a living thing thrive in nature. Like an ability to use water efficiently, and adapts that trait to a new plant so that it can better survive in its environment.

Resilience

Protection

Nutrition

Harvest

These traits improve the overall quality of crops in many ways - from drought resistance and disease protection to improved nutritional value and larger harvests.

More with Less: Farmers are constantly on the quest for ways to grow food while using land and water more effectively. GMOs come to the rescue of the farmers and help protect resources, and ultimately keep process low at the grocery store.

Less Fuel

Less Water

Fewer Pesticides

Bigger Harvests

Lower Prices

The A to Z of GMO

Desired trait of a living thing is identified

Beneficial trait is adapted to a new plant

Plant is tested for nutritional value – and food and environmental safety

New plant is better able to thrive

Over 1700 independent studies by scientists from around the world have resulted in broad consensus that GMO crops are as safe as any other crops.

See what these organizations have to say:

U.S. Food and Drug Administration, May 2013

“Food and food ingredients derived from GE [a.k.a. GM] plants must adhere to the same safety requirements … that apply to food and food ingredients derived from traditionally bred plants. The consultation is complete only when FDA’s team of scientists are satisfied with the [GM food] developer's safety assessment and have no further questions regarding safety or other regulatory issues.”

World Health Organization, February 2002

“GM foods currently available on the international market have passed risk assessments and are not likely to present risks for human health. In addition, no effects on human health have been shown as a result of the consumption of such foods by the general population in the countries where they have been approved.”

American Medical Association Council on Science and Public Health, June 2012

“Bioengineered foods have been consumed for close to 20 years, and during that time, no overt consequences on human health have been reported and/or substantiated in the peer-reviewed literature.”

European Academies Science Advisory Council, June 2013

“The production of more food, more sustainably, requires the development of crops that can make better use of limited resources. … Sustainable agricultural production and food security must harness the potential of biotechnology in all its facets.”

The Royal Society, February 2002

“The results need to be viewed in the context of a normal diet, which for humans and animals comprises large amounts of DNA. Given the very long history of DNA consumption from a wide variety of sources, we conclude that such consumption poses no significant risk to human health, and that additional ingestion of GM DNA has no effect.”

Global Benefits

Nutrition fordeveloping countries.

Golden Rice, genetically modified to contain vitamin A, can help an estimated 2.7 million children suffering from vitamin A deficiency, which causes blindness and can lead to death.

Resilience for achanging climate.

Drought-tolerant corn can offset the damage of erratic climate events, such as the 2012 drought that cost farmers an estimated $18 billion.

Food for agrowing population.

Twenty years from now, the earth’s population will need 55 percent more food than it can produce now – with the same amount of resources. GMOs can help meet this demand.

Soil. The veryfoundation of food.

We can grow more food, but we can’t grow more land. So how do we protect our planet and get the most out of every acre? It starts with healthy soil.

Soil is a complex ecosystem with a vast, invisible world of microorganisms that make it possible for plants to grow. Without them, plants can’t get the nutrients and protection they need to thrive. We’re working to take care of the plant from the ground up through a better understanding of these soil microorganisms, and finding new ways to harness their power to keep plants strong and healthy.

In fact, we’ve recently made a five-year funding and in-kind technical support commitment to the Soil Health Partnership, focusing on innovative soil management practices that reduce tillage, use cover crops and apply plant nutrients differently – all with the goal of growing enough food while still protecting our environment.